Linda Castillo Books In Order – Complete List
New York Times bestselling author Linda Castillo is best known for her popular Kate Burkholder crime thriller series set in Amish County.
Reading the author’s books in order means picking up the book series, which currently includes over ten books and several short novellas. Of course, you also have the author’s second series, Operation: Midnight, and High Country Heroes, which are also worth reading in order. The author has several standalone books as well.
Latest Linda Castillo Books
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Kate Burkholder Books in Publication Order
- Sworn to Silence, 2009
- Pray for Silence, 2010
- Breaking Silence, 2011
- Gone Missing, 2011
- Her Last Breath, 2013
- The Dead Will Tell, 2014
- After the Storm, 2015
- Among the Wicked, 2016
- Down a Dark Road, 2017
- A Gathering of Secrets, 2018
- Shamed, 2019
- Outsider, 2020
- Fallen, 2021
- The Hidden One, 2022
- An Evil Heart, 2023
- The Burning, 2024
- Rage, 2025
Kate Burkholder Short Stories and Novellas in Publication Order
- Long Lost (#4.5), 2013
- A Hidden Secret (#6.5), 2015
- Seeds of Deception (#7.5), 2016
- Kate Burkholder: Three Novellas, 2016
- Only the Lucky (#8.5), 2017
- In Dark Company (#9.5), 2018
- In Plain Sight (#10.5), 2019
- The Pact (#11.5), 2020
- Blood Moon (#13.5), 2022
- Hallowed Ground #14.5), 2023
- Dark Storm Rising (#15.5), 2024
Collections in Publication Order
- A Simple Murder, 2021
Operation: Midnight Books in Publication Order
- Operation: Midnight Tango (#1), 2005
- Operation: Midnight Escape (#2), 2005
- Operation: Midnight Guardian (#3), 2006
- Operation: Midnight Rendezvous (#4), 2006
- Operation: Midnight Cowboy (#5), 2007
High Country Heroes Books in Publication Order
- A Hero to Hold (#1), 2001
- Just A Little Bit Dangerous (#2), 2002
- A Cry In The Night (#3), 2002
Series Contributed To in Publication Order
- Remember the Night, 2000 (Expectantly Yours series)
- Uncharted Waters, 2003 (Family Secrets series)
- The Phoenix Encounter / The Secret Encounter, 2003 (Family Secrets series)
- Operation: Midnight Tango, 2005 (Safe Haven series)
- A Baby Before Dawn / Safe Before Dawn, 2007 (Lights Out series)
Standalone Novels in Order of Publication
- Remember the Night, 2000
- Lay Down the Law (released initially as Cops and … Lovers?), 2001
- Midnight Run, 2003
- The Shadow Side, 2003
- Fade to Red, 2004
- Dead Reckoning, 2005
- Depth Perception, 2005
- A Whisper in the Dark, 2006
- In the Dead of the Night, 2007
- Overkill, 2007
Short Story Anthologies
Linda Castillo Biography
Born in 1960 in a small farming community in Western Ohio (which is also the setting for her Kate Burkholder series), New York Times bestselling author Linda Castillo knew from an early age that she was meant to write novels. She wrote her first story at the age of 13.
She met her husband in 1985. She lives in the Texas Panhandle on a small ranch with her husband, working on her next novels. In her spare time, she loves riding horses on her property.
Sworn to Silence, her debut thriller is also the first in her popular Kate Burkholder series, which was well-received by readers and critics alike. Her insights into the Amish people and the community is highly regarded. Her books give an interesting glimpse into the people’s lives, particularly that the Amish are rather closed to the outsides and often their lives are a mystery.
She did extensive research, read a few scholarly books on the topic, and lived with several Amish families during her trips to Ohio for research. Her books won so far several nominations and industry awards.
I have read several novels from her book list, including some of her romantic suspense stories, and if I have to choose, I’d definitely go with her bestselling series. I love that book series. Kate is a young Amish girl living in a quiet, peaceful rural town called Painters Mill, Ohio. After a series of tragic events that left Kate scarred emotionally and psychologically, she left the place, seemingly for good.
Years later, she is asked to return to the town, and now she has a new capacity: Chief of Police Kate Burkholder. In each of the books, Kate is called to solve various crimes of murder and bring the killers to justice.
The Kate Burkholder novels should be read in chronological order, since each novel builds up (in terms of character progression) from the previous to the next.
Who is Kate Burkholder?
Kate grew up among the Amish, however, at the age of 14, she was sexually molested and survived the brutal attack of the Slaughterhouse Killer, following which she left the Amish community at the age of 18 when she no longer believed in her folks. This caused a rift between her and her folks who didn’t see kindly to her leaving them.
Now, at the age of 30, Kate returned home to the sleepy rural town of Painter’s Mill Ohio. Over the years she has become a respected, strong person who believes in herself. She is now also a respected police officer. Due to her ties to the Amish in the area, she has now been promoted to Chief of Police Kate Burkholder for the town. Since she is now near the Amish and some of her investigations take her to her folks, her job takes her to increased interactions with them.
She is pretty sure that she has come to terms with her horrible experience in the past right until her first case in town when a body is found in a snowy field and she has to investigate. With each further case, Kate has to break somehow the silence that is so characteristic of the Amish people to try to find the killers she is after.
Linda Castillo Novel Adaptations
Her first book, Sworn to Silence, was made into a two-hour Lifetime Original movie titled An Amish Murder in 2013. It features Neve Campbell as our main protagonist and Christian Campbell as Jacob Burkholder. Other actors were C. Thomas Howell as Nathan Detrick and Noam Jenkins as John Tomasetti.
The screenplay was written by Mark Malone and it was brought to screen by director Stephen Gyllenhaal.
Linda Castillo Awards and Nominations
- Her Last Breath was nominated for the ITW / International Thriller Writers Award for Best Hardcover Novel in 2014
- Hallowed Ground received the Edgar Award for Best Short Story in 2024
- An Evil Heart received the The G.P. Putnam’s Sons Sue Grafton Memorial Award in 2024
- Shamed was nominated for the Edgar Award, Sue Grafton Memorial Award, in 2020
- The author received the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence and the Holt Medallion
- She has been nominated for the RITA Award, and for the Mystery Writers of America’s Sue Grafton Memorial Award, and an “Audie Award” for best mystery audiobook
I love the Kate Burkholder series. Keeps you in suspense the whole time. And I love reading about the Amish
culture. Thank you for writing these books.
i love the series of Kate Burkholder, my first book I bought by accident the hidden one at the time I didn’t know it was a series so now I’m going to go buy the first one and read on from there in order I couldn’t put it down until I finished it. I think she’s becoming one of my favorite authors
I love the Kate B. Series. I am like the others, more, more, more. I am on the last 3 to go I download them from my local library. Right now I am on hold. Everyone here apparently loves them too.
Enjoying the Kate Burkholter series. By chance I bought Shamed not realizing it was a part of a series. Therefore, I have not read the books in the order of chronology. Enjoyed each one except the one where underground tunnels were involved.
I am now aware Of more her books..my question is does Linda do all of the writing herself? It seems like an impossible task. Excellent writer.
Love the KB series!
Totally addicted to Castillo’s riveting Katie Burkholder
Series and my partner and I can hardly wait for the next !!
Beautifully written, each work is unique. We read them until the wee hours of the morning . Hard to read anything else once you are hooked!!!
Love Love The Amish series books. My favorite Author.
This is written to Rose Marie’s question. You mentioned you don’t have a kindle and would like to hear A Hidden Secret. I don’t have a kindle but I have the kindle app on my iPhone. I am able to get the books on my kindle app without having a kindle maybe you could use that. The novellas are a fun addition to her series.
@Carol, yes, it’s better to read the series in order. The Linda Castillo books are better enjoyed this way.
Should I read the Kate Burkholder books in order? I’ve already read #6 before I found out it’s part of a series.
Just recently introduced to the series and I love them !
I’ve listened to as audio books through my local library. So well narrated you fall right into the stories, which of course are are amazing
I have read every one of Linda’s Kate series. I need to read one more, which is only ebook. I look forward to her next Kate series. I just can’t put the book down once I start reading. Excellent. She is the best author ever. I have read many books in my life but nobody as great as Mrs. Castillo.
So far I have read 6 of Castillo’s Kate B. series. Love them all! Please write more of them. I am running out.
More, More More Kate Burkholder series, I am enthralled by Linda’s books, I have everyone and can’t wait for the next one to come out. Thank you
Can I get A Hidden Secret in book form? I do not own a kindle.
Unfortunately no, because it is a short eBook, not a full novel. These short stories are always only published in eBook format, unless the author decides to bundle one together with the next book as part of a bonus.
would like to see more of the Amish series with Kate Burkholder. One of my favorite!
Would like to see more of the Kate Burkholter series. One of my favorite!